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THE MUMMY RETURNS
Music Composed and Conducted by ALAN SILVESTRI
INTRADA ISC 404

It’s one of the best-sounding recordings of any film I’ve ever done...the energy and
the power in the recording of that score—it’s still one of my favorite recordings of a score I’ve done.
– Alan Silvestri

For Universal Studios' sequel to The Mummy, composer Alan Silvestri took the reigns and composed one of the largest epic scores of his career. He describes the score for The Mummy Returns as "Errol Flynn" – a score filled with swashbuckle, honor, adventure, damsels, just like an old pirate movie. The score features a snarling brass idea for the bad guys, a mystery motif on English horn for the Scorpion King, and a general sense of Egyptian mystique and ancient secrecy. Silvestri carries this exoticism into his love theme for Rick and Evy, a romantic melody that suggestively sizzles with the desert adventures and sexual chemistry. All this performed by a 100-piece orchestra and 60-voice choir.

To present this expanded edition of The Mummy Returns, Intrada accessed all the scoring sessions held in London with the composer conducting the Sinfonia of London Orchestra and Chorus in March 2001, courtesy of Universal Pictures and the Universal Music Group. The finished film featured approximately 110 minutes of music. Silvestri also recorded another half hour of changes—including alternate pickups and revisions for the changing editorial needs of the picture as well as some re-scored bars intended for the album—bringing everything captured at those London sessions to some 140 minutes. Not a single cue representing the climactic action sequences or finale (about 25 minutes of music) was included on the original Decca release. The album master was due for delivery prior to final mixing; consequently, those cues were not available for that album assembly. All this impressive music premieres on this new edition. Intrada presents the score as intended for the film on CD 1 and the first part of CD 2 (including the vocal), with the alternate takes on the second half of CD 2.

In the film, Evy is experiencing visions of her past life as a princess and sister of a murderous minx (Patricia Velasquez), Imhotep’s lover. The mean priest’s mummy has been revived once again, this time by an Egyptian cult, and he seeks a charmed bracelet in Rick and Evy’s possession to take command of the Scorpion King’s undead army. Former pro wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his major film debut as the Scorpion King—a role he would foreground in a 2002 spinoff named for his character.

Massive Alan Silvestri score gets lavish 2-CD treatment! Stephen Sommers follows his 1999 blockbuster with even bigger event, bringing back Brendan Fraser in the lead, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah in support. Patricia Velasquez proves worthy opponent for Weisz while Dwayne Johnson makes his major film debut as “The Scorpion King”, soon to have an entire spinoff for himself. Think starpower! Expanding on adventures from 1999’s The Mummy, archaeologist Fraser now finds himself embroiled in spectacular sword fights, battles hanging from dirigibles, desert warfare, screaming pygmy attacks, combat with the titular character… and of course dueling with “the Scorpion King”. Returning in larger roles are those noble Medjai Commanders, led by dashing Oded Fehr. In fact, one of composer Silvestri’s highlights is the sweeping, richly harmonized major-key theme for those heroic horse-mounted fighters. Swords flash to major chords galore!

Following in path forged by Jerry Goldsmith for initial 1999 movie, Silvestri writes to gigantic scale of Universal’s part-Lawrence of Arabia, part-The Sea Hawk, part-The Ten Commandments, part-Indiana Jones and part the proverbial kitchen sink. And how it does work! Silvestri nods to all of the above with his huge 100-piece orchestra and 60-voice chorus, recorded in London. Silvestri enjoys telling of the joy in recording all of the musicians together rather than with the customary separate groups recording at separate sessions. The majestic sound achieved becomes one of his personal favorite scoring experiences! Besides the Medjai theme, numerous other themes appear, including not one but two rousing themes associated with Fraser’s spirited adventures. Love themes, sinister ideas and an aggressive orchestral/choral rhythmic theme for evil Velasquez and a sinuous English horn theme for the Scorpion Kind also get moments front and center. All total, Silvestri records some 112 minutes of score, plus an additional 35 minutes of alternates to accommodate changes during film editing, making it one of his largest projects ever!

Decca released a soundtrack CD of highlights but due to timing of 2001 album release in stores, they necessarily had to drop large portions of the score that had not yet been mixed, including every single cue scored for the climactic action sequences, totaling some 25 minutes alone! All of it is premiered here in Intrada’s 2-CD set for the first time, courtesy of Universal Pictures and Universal Music Group! Included amongst many such highlights are the epic-scale climactic battle cues, final dirigible action sequence and the powerhouse fanfare-coda that finds the film’s actual title card finally unfolding climactically across the screen, brass triumphant! And if all that wrap-up isn’t musical spectacle enough, the first-ever release of the magnificent end credit music also premieres, using several key themes before landing on the Medjai theme in dynamic manner and unwinding in its own majestic array of brilliant fortissimo brass! Literally a masterpiece of classic-style film music!

Flipper-style booklet design by Kay Marshall, literate notes by Tim Grieving further enhance the dramatic package. Alan Silvestri produces, composes, conducts the Sinfonia of London Orchestra and Chorus. Intrada 2-CD set available while quantities and interest remain!

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It is odd the press release doesn't mention anything about the final reels' music being recorded in LA. If the booklet credits them and they paid all the union fees, etc, everything's fine. If it doesn't and they didn't, we could be looking at a delay until they do.

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I just copy/pasted the secondary press release into the main post - it doesn't mention LA recordings either. Also added links to purchase the set from other retailers

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Kudos to leaving the suite from the OST on, I use that as my end credits and not the song.

As far as "editiorial" suites go, this is one of the better ones out there. I'm amazed how well it flows from one segment into another. I'm not surprised Silvestri actually used it as a basis for concert performances.

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What's there to connect with? His entire output is an endless string of fun yet painfully predictable scores that will never be mistaken for high art. They are exactly what they appear to be and his style has hardly changed since the beginning of his career. There is really nothing to "get" about him. He's a very definition of "reliable and solid Hollywood workman". And no, I don't see it as any type of slight. He's very good at what he does, even these days.

Having said that, there are a handful of scores that seem to be a level or two above others. The Mummy Returns would be the best of this batch. Followed by Judge Dredd, two Predator scores and perhaps few others (I like his two schmaltzy scores for Zemeckis' two Christmas motion cap movies, for instance).